The Barred Owl is the most common owl sound you will hear in the forested regions of East Texas. For someone unfamiliar with barred owl sounds, they may not know what they are hearing at night. Though primarily nocturnal, barred owls are spotted during the day. In the southern states, these owls live in a single territory their whole lives and are monogamous. It has been determined in our study that different areas have indigenous styles of vocalizing, a particular lingo as you will. Barred owls are fascinating because they have such a wide range of vocalizations. Like other birds of prey, state and federal laws protect the barred owl. It is illegal to possess any species of raptor alive or dead without special permits, or to knowingly kill or injure one in any way. Natural enemies of the barred owl are the great horned owl and the eagle. To familiarize yourself with barred owl sounds will go a long way to eliminating them from possible sounds of the Giants during your research. Giants will and do sometimes-mimic barred owls but depending on the maturity of the Giant it is often a poor and fairly recognizable imitation.

The classic barred owl vocalization has a cadence like, " Who cooks for you, Who cooks for you" This audio was recorded in Angelina County, Texas from the bedroom window.This is the most common barred owl greeting. You will hear a neighbor's dog barking and also a group of barred owls in the near by woods responding.

Barred owls give a solitary call that can be heard long range.This single tone call is a drawn out hoot. As soon as another owl responds, the owl will usually discontinue this single tone and go to the classic barred owl greeting. Barred owls do not converse in single tones so this is very likely a locater call. There is an eerie echo of the owl's call because this audio was recorded in the Angelina River Bottom.

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The barred owls have a unnerving scream. Usually, you have no warning the owl is in the area when it let's out this tremendous vocal. It will nearly stop your heart. When this audio was made, several in our group had just had an encounter with a Giant and were still running high on adrenaline when this owl cut loose. It caught all of us off guard. Our nerves were already raw. The vocal was suspicious at first because it sounded too close to the ground but after studying the vocalization later, it was proved to be a true barred owl scream. This audio was recorded near Lake of the Pines, Texas.

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When there is a gathering of barred owls, it is quite an experience to hear. The first time I ever heard barred owls in the distance, I thought I was hearing wild chimps on the loose. Barred owls are my favorite bird because they are so versatile in their language. Barred owls trill, purr, cackle and can even sound surprised. The recording below was recorded near the Little Cyprus Bayou, Texas.

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This audio is a good example of the enormous scale of sounds the barred owl can make.In this recording, the barred owl sends a classic greeting and receives a response from a cow. The owl responds with a unique sound and then they all join in. This audio came from Graham creek, Texas.

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We were recording in the Angelina river bottom. It was quiet when this barred owl began to sound off. When it began, it sounded so strange and unusual that at first we were not sure what it was. There is a response to the owl but it is difficult to discern exactly what it is.

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We were recording near Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas when we heard this strange vocal. We had to assume it was a barred owl but it's cadence was different and very unique. As you listen to the recording, the cadence becomes less and less consistent as the audio goes on, only adding to our suspicions of what it might actually be. There were Giants in the area at the time. I have to conclude that this is a barred owl due to the elaborate vocabulary they possess. I have only heard this particular vocal pattern on this creek and no where else in Angelina county lending more credibility to the theory that barred owls can have an indigenous language.

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I have included this audio in the barred owl section but it might need to go into the sounds Giants can make. In this audio, a barred owl gives two single toned hoots. Another owl begins to respond also in a solitary hoots. The first thing that caught my attention was that it was uncommon for two owls to converse in single tones. The second thing was that I have tried to respond to a single tone and have always had the same results, no answer. If this responder is a true owl,he likely would have responded with a greeting and not a locater call. I will let you be the judge. Giants do imitate owls and some are very good at it.

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